VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The first ever Sheyenne River Clean Up event was held Sunday, September 21.
31 volunteers gathered from 1-4 pm either on the river or in the town area to pick up litter or trash of any sort, from a beaver trap to lawn chairs to a muffler and plastic bottles. People in 9 canoes and 3 kayaks scoured the river from the Fish Hatchery to the Bjornson Golf Course.
Valley City Image and Beautification Committee member Sharon Buhr said the Sheyenne River is a huge asset to Valley City. Besides its beauty, many enjoy the river for recreational purposes and practically, it is a main source of water for Valley City.
She said plastic is damaging to our environment with microplastics being prevalent in rivers, and can linger in riverbeds for years, increasing the risk of ingestion by aquatic organisms. Any plastic breaks down into microplastics and moves in the
river to finally reach the oceans. The presence of microplastics poses ecological risks by entering the food chain; for example through fish. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters and are the predominant fibers in clothing, and fragments from larger plastic debris, like soda bottles.
Buhr said human health is at risk when microplastics enter the food chain through the consumption of contaminated water and food that has been grown using contaminated water.
Organizers for this event were Madeline Luke, Staci Dreyer-Larson (VCSU faculty), Becky Heise, Bob Anderson (VCSU faculty), Sharon Buhr, all members of the Hi-Line Prairie Gardens, the Valley City Image and Beautification Committee and the Sheyenne River Water Trail. The volunteers included VCSU and VCHS students and volunteers of various ages. Sponsors included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Insure Forward , Valley City Eagles Club, and Aaron Nelson Construction.
Volunteers who wanted to help ‘clean up’ Valley City but didn’t feel comfortable being on the water walked various streets in town picking up plastic and other litter. One area that the walking volunteers picked up litter was the Leevers boulevards. “I really appreciate all the work that the volunteers did to clean up Valley City this past Sunday,” stated Lisa Rush, manager of the Valley City Leevers.
Thanks go to the South Central Adult Services (Pat Hansen director) for the use of the trolley which shuttled volunteers from one part of the river to another and to the city of Valley City for picking up the pile of debris.
